Around here in January...

January 31, 2016 by Morgan Wilson

Around here...I am constantly wondering where the time goes...

Around here...We are watching 2.5 feet of snow from the blizzard of 2016 melt, slowly...

Around here...We are saying goodbye and hope to see you again soon... (edited: Dino has gone back to the breeder for a little remedial "how to play nice with others" action. He was overly aggressive towards Belle, the sheep and chickens and we are not sure how this will all play out but we are grateful to Ginger, his breeder, for agreeing to work with him.)

Dino on 1.30.16, the day before he left...

Around here...I have started some seeds!

Lisies!!! The tiniest of all the seedlings in all the land!!

Around here...There are some new residents in the barn (Queue the #whatsquackin // aflac jokes)... Photos to follow!

Around here...Can't get enough of the wood stove...

Around here...We are finalizing plans for a greenhouse and getting super excited for the coming season!!

Thanks for following along...And hope to see you in February!

Time for an update...

December 06, 2015 by Morgan Wilson

This has been a crazy mild fall. We have been so lucky to be able to plant every weekend in November -- and mom and I got 40 peonies in today (December 6). While we've had some hard frosts, the ground is no where near frozen and thank goodness, there is still a lot to do!! I thought I would have a 3-ish month break but it looks like I will be planning for 2016 in January, building a greenhouse in February and starting plants in March...Not clear when my break is scheduled for?

Some pixx of the latest and greatest around here...

Mom and dad had the South side of the barn restored by Dusty Gloeckner (he has done a ton of great work for us around the farm over the last year).

This is the "after" shot -- new tongue and groove wood miiled in MD.

These darn sheep -- They are very photogenic but they are so D-U-M-B!!!

We are looking very much forward to all that is in store for us personally and on the farm in 2016. Thanks for reading and checking in! Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy New Year!

One year in...

September 30, 2015 by Morgan Wilson

What a wild & crazy, beautiful first year of farming!

We're all still learning our way around...

These cupcake "zinderella" zinnias were such a bust -- but the beneficial bugs loved them!

Cafe Au Lait glittering in the September sun...

Remind me to build a taller bean pole next year...

The last of the hummers! Hate to see them go...

September brought our first flower sales both at an on farm market at a neighboring farm, and to a florist who we hope will become a regular customer! I have such mixed feelings about the soon-to-come first frost...I am ready for a rest, but will be so sad not to have flowers...

So much more to jot down...There will be time soon enough for writing.

In the thick of it...

August 31, 2015 by Morgan Wilson

So INSANE to think August has come and gone. It is hard not to feel behind all the time. I love having this space as a record to look back on. We are growing flowers!!! And they are beautiful!!!

Nicotiana (want to grow so much more of this next year!!)

First flush of Cinnamon Basil... (The second round is gnarly with spotted/diseased leaves...Bummer)

I have a new appreciation for sunflowers after watching them stretch towards the sun all summer

Rudbeckia Prairie Sun -- the bugs love it... ;) — Rudbeckia Prairie Sun -- the bugs love it... ;)

So, these photos were taken about a month ago. Now, the successions of suns are almost done, the cosmos are almost dead (oops - they need water), the dahlias are blowing our minds on the daily, the zinnias are starting to show signs of powdery mildew, the snaps are back for a second flush, and so on and so on...I have learned so much and am so excited for next season - I am getting going on fall sowings of plants that I've never grown before -- Delphinium and Larkspur, for starters, along with old faves -- Foxgloves, snaps, Verbascum, Poppies (I could go on...) I just ordered 2 yards of seed starting mix and feeling like a major soil nerd when I think about it.

Come out and visit us!! We'll send you home with a bouquet of flowers and a bucket of tomatoes (seriously!)

How is it July?!

July 16, 2015 by Morgan Wilson

Zinnias under Japanese Beetle attack — Zinnias under Japanese Beetle attack

The JB's...I spent late June/early July handpicking them off the plants one by one. Apparently those yellow JB bags are no bueno (they attract more JB's). They are attracted to their own scent, and don't like the scent of their own dead, so we … — The JB's...I spent late June/early July handpicking them off the plants one by one. Apparently those yellow JB bags are no bueno (they attract more JB's). They are attracted to their own scent, and don't like the scent of their own dead, so we let them bake in the sun in water bottles and then spread them around the plants to deter new ones from coming. It seems to work. Meanwhile, the plants are rebounding and shooting up new blooms on long stems in every color of the rainbow - It's pretty dreamy!

We might have overdone it on the gomphrena...

Nicotiana - I want to plant so much more of this next year!!!

I love finding bees sleeping the morning away in the squash blossoms

Tomatoes! The weather has been super wonky - Lots of rain, warm but not the typical DMV heatwaves - So the only thing ripening are the cherries so far... — Tomatoes! The weather has been super wonky - Lots of rain, warm but not the typical DMV heatwaves - So the only thing ripening are the cherries so far...

THE FIRST (GOLDEN) EGG! Just a little guy. Saturday 7/11 was a big day on the farm :) — THE FIRST (GOLDEN) EGG! Just a little guy. Saturday 7/11 was a big day on the farm :)

Some of mom's flock ("the ladies") -- FINALLY paying rent! — Some of mom's flock ("the ladies") -- FINALLY paying rent!

And finally, the corn. Mehrle's corn is literally 9' feet tall. It surrounds the garden on 3 sides, we have loved watching it grow and grow.

It is a busy time on the farm...We manage to fit in quick swims here and there for a break from the heat, but for the most part its work work work :) Looking forward to another weekend of planting, planning and cutting flowers -- and I hope to share more photos here soon.

bachelor's buttons -  6.6 — bachelor's buttons - 6.6

In the garden...

June 14, 2015 by Morgan Wilson

bachelor's buttons -  6.14 — bachelor's buttons - 6.14

apple blossom snaps (super long stems! sweetest color! obsessed!)

please pardon the photo-heavy post...it is late on a sunday in humid maryland and we are all zapped from working in the garden this weekend. it is exciting to have blooms to cut and share, and to see everything growing - fast! overnight even! - and to cut some of these flowers for the first time ever. the snaps have great stem length and seem to keep on giving long after they land in a vase. tonight i cut my first "bells of ireland" which was on the short side but a total thrill...i feel kind of geeky but it is pretty exciting after babying so many plants along since there was snow on the ground in some instances.

more soon...

The garden is really coming on now! We harvested our first Chantilly Snaps this morning and it was a pretty awesome feeling! (More pixx to come!)

What a blur!

June 05, 2015 by Morgan Wilson

May was a total blur! Lots of memorable moments including welcoming lots of friends into the garden for some MUCH needed help - weeding, planting, weeding, labeling, digging, weeding, rolling out / burning landscape fabric, weeding, and dreaming of blooms. Mom's friends from Crescent City (Carolyn and Bobby) came for a week and were a huge help in getting the grass mowed, giving chicken pep talks, weeding, and being lovely company whether working or porch-sitting. Leah and Lezlie came up for a day and helped plant a ton of flowers - Stock, Shasta Daisy, Rudbeckia, Ammi and DIll (I was a little over-ambitious and learned that planting seedlings that aren't big enough before a major rainstorm can lead to...Dead plants. Really learning the hard way some weeks!). Then Carrie and Lezlie (again!) came up and we did a whole row of Dahlias (which are doing SO.WELL) - Lezlie rocked the knife skillz and Carrie labeled all the stakes so we will know what is what...So thankful for these sweet friends who encourage me and cheer me on as I learn how to farm.

I cannot say enough about the support from my mom and dad in this new adventure...They keep me company in the garden, bring me water, encourage me, dig holes on occasion and of course, keep this place running the majority of the week. I seriously could not do it without them!

The poppies were first to bloom! It was an exciting few weeks of cutting these guys, searing the ends and putting them all around the house to let them do their thing - they really steal the show if you let them. I have learned a lot about how to sow these teeny tiny seeds. I will soil block again, for sure, but the mix has got to be pretty light so the roots have something to penetrate / hold onto. Looking forward to trying again in the fall, and then trying to overwinter them.

So, we are def. keeping this little ball of energy. She is so super fast, has no fear, has the.loudest.cry.ever - she is always hungry, always on the move, and mom is in la-la-love. In fact, I think we all are! TBD if she will be indoor/outdoor (or a combo)...

Mischief at around 5 weeks? Also known as Nugget or cray cray... — Mischief at around 5 weeks? Also known as Nugget or cray cray...

We also have bachelor buttons blooming, a lot more this week - I find them charming and so far don't mind cutting them although maybe on a larger scale that will change? Right now I am just so grateful to have anything to cut... :) We are going to try drying some this weekend - Excited to try it.

Our foxgloves never sent up shoots. Fingers crossed for the fall, but I think FYF (First Year Flowering) is not as easy as it sounds...I have read a little about it and am thinking they got (and stayed) too wet. Excited to try planting a lot more this September to overwinter.

Check back soon, I will be getting the snaps documented this week for sure!

It was bound to happen that we would find an abandoned farm kitten in need...

Her hands

May 10, 2015 by Morgan Wilson

I've been looking through recent photos taken at the farm -- So many of them feature the work and the landscape, and the recent additions to the Belle Blooms Zoo. Another common theme is how often my mom's hands appear, always doing some version of the dirty work...

I am thankful for how photogenic they are. Hopefully she will help me show off lots of beautiful cut flowers this summer... — I am thankful for how photogenic they are. Hopefully she will help me show off lots of beautiful cut flowers this summer...

...but in the meantime, she can even make clover and dandelions look good!

She is pretty much up for anything. She does the dirty work that no one else will do. She is a tough, humble, hard working mama.

So thankful for her hands, and more importantly, her heart. Happy Mother's Day!